Pit Bulls & Dog Parks Respect
Some people bring their pit bulls to off-leash dog parks because they want to show the world how wonderful their dog is and dispel the rumors and negative media hype. They trust their dogs because they haven't (yet) shown an ounce of aggression towards anything. This is irresponsible and here's why...

It is a fact that our APBTs, ASTs and pit mixes come with a built-in fighting heritage. It doesnâ€™t matter where we get them from, whether it be the pound, a stray we pick up, or a puppy we buy from a breeder. The majority of pit bulls will, at some point in their lives, exhibit some degree of dog-on-dog aggression. This type of animal aggression is completely separate from human-aggression; a well-socialized pit bull is very good-natured with people. Yet, chances are that a "normal" pit bull will not share his affection with other animals. We cannot predict when or where it will happen and we canâ€™t love, train or socialize it out of the dog. Pit bulls may not start a fight, but they will finish it.

It is common to see one dog running out ahead of a pack. This game of chase can easily escalate. Sometimes small scuffles erupt over a toy or tug-o-war, or several dogs gang up one dog, or a wrestling match gets out of hand. This kind of action will be hard for a pit bull to ignore and walk away from.

If your pit bull is involved in a fight at a dog park, it gives purpose to breed-specific legislation and affects the rights of others to own these amazing dogs. Don't set your dog up to fail.

Responsible pit bull owners:

Research and understand the breed
Donâ€™t put other peopleâ€™s pets at risk
Keep their dog leashed at all times in public places
Clean up after their dogs (yes, that means pick up the dog's poop!)
Vaccinate and license their dogs
Spay and neuter their dogs
Train their dogs
Other activities you can enjoy with your pit bull:

Play fetch in an enclosed tennis court or baseball field
Ride a bike and have your pit bull jog along
Walk, jog or hike with your pit bull. Don't forget her bandana!
Take an obedience class together
Respect your dog and the dogs of others...donâ€™t learn the hard way
what your pit bull is capable of.

Respect your dog and the dogs of others...
donâ€™t learn the hard way what your pit bull is capaable of

More often than they should, pit bull owners wonder about the dog park issue, finding themselves explaining to others that their dog is not a "killing machine," it is not "one of those pit bulls" and there is no reason that their dog canâ€™t enjoy off leash time with unknown dogs. Some will even insist that "you only add to the misconception toward this breed when you don't allow your friendly pit bull to go to the dog park.â€

There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.

thank god they are releasing the true version these days. it was "the dog attacked the doberman and they had to stab the pit to get him off," turns out the guy continued to stab the dog even after they broke it up. The dogs had fought before and the doberman started the second fight, the one that ended up with the pit being stabbed repeatedly and getting his throat slit. it's crazy. i'm glad the guy is getting punished, and i'm glad the media is correcting themselves.

I have to confess, I'm guilty. I have taken my pup to a local dog park that has a very small population of dogs. And I have observed many people do not watch the dogs. They are more involved in chitter chatter, than to pay attention to their dogs running off leash. I've also seen people who want to be the dog whisperer and walk several dogs at once, when it's really the dogs walking the walker... I have let my pup off leash with a few small dogs that we're friendly - but that was at nine weeks, a few puppies, and a small area. We continued to go until recently, since he is now six months, and is interested in mounting...(pending a neuter). Now we just walk in a wildlife park locally. We see other dogs there too, but mine is on a leash. It has been a positive experience for Chico and myself in the sense that he did experience socialization. But now he is older, and nothing is worth losing him. I have studied his breed, and know what he is genetically hardwired to do. And thanks to this posting, I will continue to be reminded not to set my dog up for failure. Thanks for this board and topic.

VannessaThe question is not whether we will be extremist but what kind of extremist will we be. Martin Luther King, Jr.

When Freya came to live with us she got along well with our 2 cats and then 7 year old son. Knowing the breed I was less concerned with my own child (but still mindful) than the welfare of my cats. Freya got along famously with them though. While walking I would notice that she never would show any aggression with other dogs. They would bark and growl between their fences and she would pay no mind to them. Upon meeting other leashed dogs her tail always wagged, they would sniff and that would be it, friendly greetings.
She was very well socialized. We would take her to her favorite store (Pet Smart) and she would demonstrate the same well tempered, well socialized behavior. There is a dog park in our area and we cautiously and responsibly brought her there. No problems, she would play with other bully breeds in their bully way and was very gentle and protective with the smaller breeds. We always would be with her if she ran we ran. If the play was getting too rough one of us would just touch her collar and she would sit down. Her pal was a Ridge back and when he was there they would romp for hours.
Then some moron brought in a very aggressive pit who went after 3 other dogs before he charged Freya who was at the far end of the park playing fetch with my husband. He grabbed her by the head in which she still carries a scar. Well she finished it within seconds. She flipped herself underneath and did alot of damage to the aggressors face. As soon as my husband grabbed her collar she let go and sat. The other dog went for her again this time my husband had to hit the other dog. His owner who did nothing to control his dog almost started a fight with my husband. That fight brought out hundreds of years of fighting instinct in Freya. And an Idiot caused injury to his own dog.
Now she is more aggressive toward other dogs and even in Pet Smart we have to be careful. I was thinking about a muzzle for the store because she really enjoys going there but we cant take the chance. Its really sad because she used to enjoy playing with her own kind and we could never take her back. The other dog owners hailed her for "Beating Up that Bad, Mean dog" but they were ignorant to the fact that she is what she is and once it was brought out she won't go back to the dog friendly pit-bull and we cant bring her back to the park to play anymore. I agree dog parks are not in the best interest of your pitt. Not because of other dogs because of stupid, ignorant, ego filled dog owners who should be supervised while owning a goldfish!javascript:emoticon(':cry:')

I am sad to say i bring my dog to the park and let him run off leash. Unlike other owners I am watching like a hawk at where he is and if other dogs are well socialized while playing with him. He is 7 months old and everytime im at a park a dominant dog tries to hump my boy and i have to fend them off. Also two older pits double teamed my dog the other day and my puppy is very gentle compared to older tougher playful pits, so my dog felt threatened and was going to come back to bite them but i got them off of him thankfully. By the way the owner was laughing and i wished i could have kicked his dogs! anyways my pup is fine and plays with all dogs still, but im always afraid that people will bring nonsocialized dogs to the park and attack my dog. It is just hard for me not to let him play with dogs when he wants to soo bad. i feel like im in a rock and a hard place. i just dont know what else to do because san francisco has the best dog parks around and i love watching him play and romp around. keepin him on leash isnt easy when hes getting excited. all i can say is that im a good owner by watching him like crazy and keeping him close to me.

sundaysbe5t wrote:I am sad to say i bring my dog to the park and let him run off leash. Unlike other owners I am watching like a hawk at where he is and if other dogs are well socialized while playing with him. He is 7 months old and everytime im at a park a dominant dog tries to hump my boy and i have to fend them off. Also two older pits double teamed my dog the other day and my puppy is very gentle compared to older tougher playful pits, so my dog felt threatened and was going to come back to bite them but i got them off of him thankfully. By the way the owner was laughing and i wished i could have kicked his dogs! anyways my pup is fine and plays with all dogs still, but im always afraid that people will bring nonsocialized dogs to the park and attack my dog. It is just hard for me not to let him play with dogs when he wants to soo bad. i feel like im in a rock and a hard place. i just dont know what else to do because san francisco has the best dog parks around and i love watching him play and romp around. keepin him on leash isnt easy when hes getting excited. all i can say is that im a good owner by watching him like crazy and keeping him close to me.

One point you don't seem to be comprehending is, you may have control over your dog (an unleashed 7 month old, I'm sorry to say I find that hard to believe), but you can't control other dogs, which is part of why a dog park is an iffy place for a pit. If a fight breaks out, even if your dog is not at fault, YOUR dog will get the blame simply because of her breed, and this can have legal, and possibly lethal, consequences. If the media picks up on it, it won't say "Shepard mix involved in fight at local dog park" it'll say "Pit bull involved in fight at local dog park" (I'm being very mild here, it would more likely say "Pit bull attack") , and chances are the story will be pretty sensationalized and poorly researched, hurting the breed as a whole.

My 70lb pit/pit mix dog has "playdates" with other dogs *all the time*, dogs who I *know* she gets along with, dogs that are not aggressive, dogs whose owners I know and trust, dogs who I know are healthy and parasite free. These playdates are ALWAYS closely supervised, no matter if it's her Olde English Bulldogge buddies, the greyhounds, the akita, the Cairn terrier, the Boston, or the corgi and bischon. She also meets new dogs all the time, and generally is a great source of pride to me because she puts them to shame behavior-wise. But off leash in an uncontrolled environment, nuh-uh, no way. She's is a submissive dog, and has had 2 incidents where other dogs went after her (both time all dogs on leash, both times with dogs that had aggression issues I was told about after the fact). Her response was to run and hide behind me, but a simple defensive snap on her part could doom her if the other dog's owner is an asshat.

I took Jesse to a dog park when I first got her. She was about 7 months old. Everything was going fine until a Ridgeback tried to bully her and she put that dog on its back within about 20 seconds. Twice her size mind you.

She was never taken to a dog park after that. I learned a VERY valuable lesson that day.. NEVER trust a pit bull NOT to fight. My girl wont start a fight, but, she will finish one. Then she will be the big bad pitbull. So, Im ultra careful NOT to allow something like that to ever happen again. I.E. Say NO to Dog Parks.

Just mtc.

The dissenter is every human being at those moments of his life when he resigns momentarily from the herd and thinks for himself.

but im always afraid that people will bring nonsocialized dogs to the park and attack my dog.

IMO, this is a risk NOT worth taking! You NEVER know when your dog will decide he has had enough & put the smack down. OR when someone else's dog will get snarky with your dog. Your dog is still a puppy & at this time in his life he is not fully mature. As he does grow older he may become dog aggressive & the last place you want to find this out is in a dog park.

If you want to let him play off leash with other dogs, you could always arrange a play date with dogs you know & owners you trust. You can get together in someones back yard or some other enclosed area a couple of times a week. You have control over the area and the dogs that are there.

I am sure you are a good owner but things can happen in an instant & keeping an eagle eye on your dog and staying close to him just may not be enough. In reality, your puppy doesnt really NEED other dogs to play with, all he needs is you.

There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.

With my sister's old female Sienna (RIP) we found out exactly what her limits were. She was a rescued fighter, and it was surprising to see how much she TRIED to avoid confrontation. I have never seen ANY dog, especially a pit, go to the lengths that Sienna did to try to avoid confrontation. She constantly walked away from snarkiness and bullying behavior. However, we NEVER took her to dog parks. Luckily, it was in my sister's home when Sienna reached the limit. Their male boxer/greyhound mix was being an asshat and kept bullying and kept picking on Sienna. She kept trying to ignore him but he just wouldn't leave it alone. She finally snapped at him and gave him a pretty nasty puncture wound.

The moral of the story is, even the most NON aggressive, submissive dogs eventually will reach their limits, and you cannot control OTHER peoples' poorly behaved or douchebag dogs, and once your sweet nonaggressive pup can't take it anymore and defends itself - YOU get the blame, because it's your BIG BAD EVIL VICIOUS pit bull. It doesn't matter who starts the fight.

but im always afraid that people will bring nonsocialized dogs to the park and attack my dog.

IMO, this is a risk NOT worth taking! You NEVER know when your dog will decide he has had enough & put the smack down. OR when someone else's dog will get snarky with your dog. Your dog is still a puppy & at this time in his life he is not fully mature. As he does grow older he may become dog aggressive & the last place you want to find this out is in a dog park.

If you want to let him play off leash with other dogs, you could always arrange a play date with dogs you know & owners you trust. You can get together in someones back yard or some other enclosed area a couple of times a week. You have control over the area and the dogs that are there.

I am sure you are a good owner but things can happen in an instant & keeping an eagle eye on your dog and staying close to him just may not be enough. In reality, your puppy doesnt really NEED other dogs to play with, all he needs is you.

I have to chime in too! I agree, if you want to work on your dog and distractions, walk your dog outside the dog park fence while doing obedience.

If you really really NEED your dog to play with other dogs, set up play dates with BOTH dogs and people you trust on the other end of the leash! If properly introduced and supervised you can allow them get together. Play is a general term too....play can escalate so my play times have commands such as 'settle' or 'break it up' if things are looking heated. Both dogs (no strangers mind you) uderstand it means to calm down or play time will be done. And...not to say the least, your dog needs to be under control even in play. If your dog ignores you while playing, you probably shouldn't be allowing them to play! They need to respect you in and out of play. A 'come' from play is very useful when emergencies arise. (Say other dogs squable, you can call you dog away from it and avoid it all together)

If you want your dog to play off leash, take him/her to a park without any dogs, slow part of the day, or to a tennis court or to a park with a long leash. My dogs are NEVER off leash, EVER EVER EVER and they get plenty of exercise on a daily basis. We do have a fenced in back yard but they are still leash walked for potty breaks. The fear that even if another dog comes into my fence that my dog will be blamed....this is what has me with my dog every moment of every day. The fear that my dog can end up on the news.....too real....and I"m not willing to take any chances.

And of all things, your bully really does only need you. They were meant to be a humans dog, not a dogs dog....its a privelege to play with other dogs, but not a right. Most bullies don't need another dog in their life at all. Behaving around them is great, ignoring them is great, but they don't need to play with them.

Don't take the chance, NEVER trust your bully not to fight. At 1 year or 6 years, it will happen someday when youre not expecting it and your dog will be on the news, not the herder that started it or the lab that ran her over. Its always the bully that gets blamed so dont take the chance.

Ryder - Rescue APBT Panser on a Roll - APBT (American Bully?)Gretchen - the red headed cat that thinks shes a dogPrudence - the new cat on the block to put the dogs in their place!Punchlines Better Than Lojac - APBT (RIP)

I take Jack the lab to the park but Sally either stays home or goes on the walking trail with DH. Jack seems to like the socialization and while not submissive really is a "I don't want no trouble" type dog. yet I am continuously amazed at rude behavior other dogs have there. There have been situations where I am thanking my lucky stars that Jack has absolutely no interest in "engaging" other dogs, because there are dogs there that are all but begging for it.......

I have never taken diesel to a dog park, but have noticed at other events, that he seems to get snapped at by other dogs a lot..im not sure why. He has never yet shown aggression, even when the dogs snap and growl at him, he just turns around and looks at me. I dont like to take him around any dogs without a leash, i just dont trust other dogs period. as soon as one gets out of line and tries to attack him, of course diesel will fight back and chances are his power will win, and he will be looked at like the bad guy.

I have to chime in too! I agree, if you want to work on your dog and distractions, walk your dog outside the dog park fence while doing obedience.

Just not too close...it was one of my biggest pet peeves when I used to take mine (non pits) to the dog park. Other dogs being on the OTHER side of the fence...just adds to the frustration sometimes. Granted you might be doing obedience, but those that have off-leash dogs inside might not appreciate having to chase down their fence-fighting herding dogs.

"I don't have any idea if my dogs respect me or not, but they're greedy and I have their stuff." -- Patty Ruzzo

"Dogs don't want to control people. They want to control their own lives." --John Bradshaw

Thank you for posting this! I NEVER let my American Staffordshire Terriers off leash...not to mention at the dog park. My male is the sweetest, most docile and patient dog ever who will avoid a fight at all costs...usually. I am always sooo careful to keep my dogs away from other dogs. But, one day, he got into a 'fight' with a weimaraner who bit him on the face. I say 'fight' because it was more my dog dragging the screaming weimaraner around than a real fight. The weimaraner had no chance. Amstaffs and pits may not start the fight, but they will end it. Fortunately, we split them apart (coulda used a bite stick at the time ) but severe damage had already been done. The weim was rushed to vets where he is still recovering, a month later. He needed emergency surgery where he got skin graphs and numerous stitches/staples. My dog did not have even one scratch.This was the first real fight my dog had ever gotten into. Fortunately, the weimaraner's owner knew her dog was at fault and didn't even try to press charges. It's crazy how I can have a 'pit bull' on a leash and people can still manage to let their dogs get at him. Nah, for me, a dog park is a scary thing.

BKBZ wrote:Thank you for posting this! I NEVER let my American Staffordshire Terriers off leash...not to mention at the dog park. My male is the sweetest, most docile and patient dog ever who will avoid a fight at all costs...usually. I am always sooo careful to keep my dogs away from other dogs. But, one day, he got into a 'fight' with a weimaraner who bit him on the face. I say 'fight' because it was more my dog dragging the screaming weimaraner around than a real fight. The weimaraner had no chance. Amstaffs and pits may not start the fight, but they will end it. Fortunately, we split them apart (coulda used a bite stick at the time ) but severe damage had already been done. The weim was rushed to vets where he is still recovering, a month later. He needed emergency surgery where he got skin graphs and numerous stitches/staples. My dog did not have even one scratch.This was the first real fight my dog had ever gotten into. Fortunately, the weimaraner's owner knew her dog was at fault and didn't even try to press charges. It's crazy how I can have a 'pit bull' on a leash and people can still manage to let their dogs get at him. Nah, for me, a dog park is a scary thing.

Check into some of the threads around on how to properly break up a dog fight. There is one stickied in this section

WOW.. uhh I don't really know what to say here. I mean Buddy was probably the most obedient dog in the dog park and he is 10 months old. (and Buddy is not by any means a very obedient dog) There was even a black lab that was very aggresive and Buddy just laid down so she would go away. I feel bad saying ok sorry now we can't go, he had the time of his life. I would set up playdates but all my friends have little dogs and Buddy won't even bother with them, he likes big dogs. Any one live in anne arundle county, MD that has big dogs that would want to play? We walk him everyday, sometimes run and he has all the energy in the world. He needs something else, suggestions would be great since you just killed my excitement. I don't want my baby to get stabbed tho, there was a puppy pit that was there too but we were leaving as he was coming..and i know this probably doesn't matter but there was only 2-3 dogs in there at a time and all the owners were right there with there pup.